The rise of generative AI has motivated debate on its ramifications on education, the workforce and society as a whole.
However, one key voice that will shape the future of this technology is often missing from this conversation. That’s the voice of students and young people.
To address this issue, in April 2023, YouthInsight conducted the first Australian exploratory study with students and young people to understand their perceptions and use of generative AI.
In a week when schools across South Australia launched a groundbreaking trial of a purpose-designed educational AI tool, exploring the findings of that report – including insights from 576 young people aged 14 to 26 across high schools, universities, TAFE, colleges and in the workforce – is especially timely.
32 per cent of high school students use AI technology each week
According to the study, 44 per cent of tertiary and high school students use generative AI monthly or less frequently, with only 14 per cent using it daily.
For tertiary students, only 18 per cent reported using AI tools daily, with the majority using it either weekly (32 per cent), monthly or more (42 per cent).
It was a similar story with students in high school, with only 11 per cent using AI daily, 32 per cent using it weekly, and 44 per cent using it monthly or more.
Young people already using AI are overwhelmingly ready to keep using AI in the next 12 months, with 87 per cent reporting that they are somewhat likely or very likely to do so.
For those not using AI tools already, 56 per cent reported they are not at all likely to use AI tools in the next 12 months, while 38 per cent said that they are somewhat likely to use AI tools in the future.
What are students using AI for?
With guidelines on the use of generative AI remaining vague in many classrooms across Australia, students remain undecided on how to incorporate the technology into their studies.
50 per cent of Gen Zs surveyed report using AI only to experiment with the tool and for help with their schoolwork or study, while one in five students report using it for digital conversations.
In this study, only 75 high school students reported using AI for their assignments, with only three in five saying they told their teachers about doing so.
This drops to 55 per cent for the 105 high school students that use AI for their schoolwork or study, with 45 per cent reporting that they do tell their teachers.
When it comes to tertiary students, only 53 students reported using AI for their assignments, with three in five reporting that they did not tell their tutor, lecturer or professor.
Respondents were largely optimistic about the benefits of using AI in education, with one saying highlighting how AI can help students learn new phrases and gather their ideas.
“[Some] students with learning disabilities or [who are] neurodivergent can’t put their words into sentences and AI helps them gather their ideas and turns it into a phrase they can understand.”
Are students using AI to plagiarise?
Overwhelmingly, it’s a ‘no’. However, students are leveraging the power of AI when studying or completing assignment tasks.
More than four out of five students (83 per cent) reported that they would not use generative AI to plagiarise in the future, regardless of how they’ve used these tools in the past.
In an age group comparison, students aged 18 to 19 were less likely than those aged 14 to 17 to report using AI for this purpose, both now and in the future.
Not everyone was convinced with the use of AI in assessment, with one respondent highlighting how “people won’t be showing the depth of their knowledge but the depth of what the AI creates”.
Impact on education, work, and society
According to the report, Gen Z is anticipating the impact of AI on education and work to be both positive and negative, with the majority unsure about what AI means for society overall (40 per cent).
73 per cent of Gen Zs say that AI will impact education, but when it comes to the type of impact, the young people surveyed remain somewhat uncertain, reporting that it will bring both positive and negative outcomes (48 per cent).
Some respondents say AI is already having a severe impact, warning against the potentially harmful applications.
“AI can be used to be harmful in society especially in terms of politics, using it to create deepfakes of politicians saying things such as declaring war on another country.” says one respondent. “I see AI stealing artists’ work and ideas all the time without providing them credit.”
Others continue to remain hopeful, describing AI as just another tool students and creatives can use to boost their results.
“I truly believe it can be something magnificent, not a destructive tool, like others have claimed. We must embrace it, rather than shun it.”
SA schools spearhead groundbreaking AI pilot program
For students at eight public high schools in South Australia (SA), the move to embrace the potential benefits of AI is being led by the South Australian government.
The secondary students are part of a nation-leading pilot program that incorporates artificial intelligence into learning.
The SA education department has partnered with Microsoft to develop the Edchat app – an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT – for use in schools, featuring enhanced privacy and security controls designed to protect students.
The schools undertaking the eight-week trial of the Edchat technology, which aims to enhance the way students learn through the use of AI, include Adelaide Botanic High School, Adelaide High School, Ceduna Area School, Glenunga International High School, Mitcham Girls High School, Unley High School, Streaky Bay Area School, and Thebarton Senior College.
Currently, South Australia is the only Australian jurisdiction to allow AI in state schools, with other governments moving to ban it.
“We can’t put our head in the sand when it comes to AI,” the South Australian Education Minister, Blair Boyer, told 9news. “AI is going to play a huge role and if we don’t send them (kids) out into the world with the knowledge to how to use it productively and safely I think that’s a fail for us as a system.”
At one of the SA schools involved in the trial, Mitcham Girls High School principal Rosie Heinicke said the technology had the potential to transform the way students learn.
“One of the things Edchat will provide for our students is 24/7 access to information and from a safe source,” she told 9news.
In an interview with SkyNews, Minister Boyer said the trial was about “teaching them what the downsides of AI are but also teaching them what the potential upsides are, as well”.
Pending the trial’s hoped-for success, Minister Boyer anticipates the trial will roll out to other schools across the state.
“I’m sure once that’s done other states and territories around Australia will probably be looking to do the same thing,” he said.
